Few people can conjure feelings of utter despair and loneliness as authentically as Ross Etherton. His performances are emotional exorcisms of epic proportions; you can’t help but be moved by the anguished expressions on his face and the fiery tears that form in the corners of his eyes. His Red…
We’re living in a time where if you believe what you read in certain places, then right now is supposed to be the flowering of something called ‘indie rock,'” muses Efrim Menuck, one of the seven members of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-la-la Band. “I don’t even…
The concert business in Denver just got a hell of a lot more interesting. Last week, Brent Fedrizzi and Don Strasburg, two of the region’s most well-regarded talent buyers, resigned their Live Nation posts. And soon after, Strasburg was named vice president and senior talent buyer for Anschutz Entertainment Group…
“I always wanted to make a concept record,” Rosanne Cash says of her latest CD, Black Cadillac. “I just didn’t know it would be on this theme.” Nor would Cash have wished to be inspired in quite the way she was. After all, the disc’s dark hue can be traced…
Possessing one of the most recognizable voices in rock, Richard Butler has delivered his stylish rasp for nearly three decades. With the Psychedelic Furs, Butler helped bridge the gap between punk and art, between the Sex Pistols and Roxy Music. His sexy mix of power and fashion continued in Love…
Lamb of God is undoubtedly the most legitimate heir to the eviscerating legacy of Pantera. On Sacrament, the Richmond, Virginia-based quintet pushes its blistering brand of foot-to-the-throat metal into new territory while staying true to the chokehold intensity that earned it a rabid and devoted following early on. Hurtling forward…
Oh, to be Dave Navarro. Shortly after announcing his split from the famously pneumatic Carmen Electra, he was reportedly keeping company with porn icon Jenna Jameson. This guy needs to write a guide to hooking up immediately. If only the Panic Channel’s debut were that intriguing. Navarro’s new group seems…
Monsieur Leroc’s third album is a hodgepodge of styles with a little of his signature twisting thrown in. Leroc’s production, which is often compared to DJ Shadow’s and Money Mark’s, spans underground/indie hip-hop (“Me So Hungry,” featuring Radioinactive), jazz (“Freewheelin’ Frankie,” featuring Courtney Mace) and funk (“Baby,” featuring Bargain Josh)…
Ween fans already know what to expect with Shinola, Volume 1 as Gene and Dean Ween scrape another layer off music’s fat underbelly. This time out, the Weeners take on at least fifteen genres with equal aplomb, from jazz and R&B to Brit pop and house. The two manage to…
No doubt about it: Mojomama’s Jessica Rowand can belt. Her vocals are steady and strong, and unlike so many of her peers, she resists the temptation to prove the power of her pipes by oversinging. All she needs is material that’s worthy of her. Too bad Think.Feel.Love.Listen doesn’t always supply…
Last night I dreamed I was reviewing the new Everything Absent or Distorted disc, The Soft Civil War, when someone from the group called to say that they were done with wordy band names and had decided to change to the much simpler autonym LOVE. Despite the fact that rock…
2Mex & Life Rexall, …are $martyr (Cornerstone Ras). Both 2Mex and Life Rexall (of the Shape Shifters) have been working in the Cali underground for years, and on this collaborative effort, the duo holds nothing back. Bolstered by fresh lyrics and solid production, …are $martyr is a nonstop head-nodding album…
Singer/guitarist John Fogerty has long been regarded as one of rock and roll’s patron saints. Although Creedence Clearwater Revival, the act he fronted, imploded four years after issuing its inaugural effort, Fogerty was seen as the voice of the workingman. After bitterly splitting with his brother Tom in 1971 and…
Mouth of the Architect’s MySpace page irreverently claims the band’s home town is the fictional Hell, Ohio. If you’ve ever visited the Buckeye state, you know that “hell” is a pretty good description of the place. The land of tortured artists (Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys, convicted murderer/country star…
The ratio of what has been written about Wolf Parade to the act’s actual output is staggering. Welcome to 2006, where a band can go from releasing a demo to headlining a club tour in the blink of an eye — all thanks to a few tastemaking blogs. Needless to…
Keb’ Mo’ will play the spirit of the blues — literally — in Honeydripper, the next movie by acclaimed director John Sayles. However, the casting isn’t as perfect as it seems. Press reports describe the flick (Sayles’s first since 2004’s Silver City, which was largely filmed in Denver) as a…
Marching out of Newcastle, England, in the late ’70s, Venom forged a harsh and blistering, highly influential sound that inspired the melodramatic metal bands that followed. Whereas artists like Alice Cooper clearly camped up shows for fun, Venom sounded like a group of devil-worshiping maniacs. Composed of members sporting silly…
Some Tool fans have been around for the long haul and truly appreciate the sort of aural artiness in which the group traffics. But many others are Maynard-lovers-come-lately — and their reaction to Isis, a musically simpatico opening act, should reveal the depth of their loyalty. Isis discs such as…
Portugal the Man has a fate worse than death: In fifteen years, it will be lost to 99-cent sidewalk sales and left as a remnant of consumer waste. The outfit’s debut full-length, Waiter: “You Vultures!”, its liner notes streamlined with ultra-hipster Photoshopped collages, will be shucked aside in a large…
The qualifications for becoming an outlaw are getting pretty lax these days. Case in point: Shooter Jennings. Sure, he looks the part, what with the tattoos, well-worn cowboy shirts, stringy hair and ’70s-style sunglasses. But as the only child of Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, he’s got more in common…
A native of Portland, Oregon, Amy Annelle is currently wandering around the no-man’s-land that surrounds the Stapleton Development in northwest Aurora. Her nomadic tendencies have led her to a part of the city from which few would draw inspiration. There’s a sense of isolation there, though, that fuels the music…
An icon of the Chicago house scene, Derrick Carter has spent much of his career shunning invitations to work with pop stars in favor of remaining in the gritty underground where he began. Spinning at house parties at age nine and honing his skills as a bedroom jock, Carter got…
